Local area networks that utilize high frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data are commonly referred to as WiFi networks (or simply “WiFi”). WiFi is a popular technology, now ubiquitous in most developed regions around the world, that allows enabled electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, or computers, to exchange data wirelessly over a network connected to the internet or World Wide Web.
A WiFi enabled device, such as a personal computer, video-game console, smart phone, tablet, or digital audio player, can connect to a data network, such as the internet, via one or more wireless network access points. Since wireless access points (often termed “hotspots”) typically have a limited range (e.g., 50 feet), one technique to provide extended WiFi access coverage involves the utilization or deployment of multiple wireless access points having overlapping ranges. Using such a technique, wireless network accessibility can be provided generally uniformly on a large scale, such as at a sports stadium or in an airport.
Cellular or mobile data offloading is the use of alternate, compatible network technologies for delivering (e.g., sending or receiving) data to or from an enabled mobile device via a network other than the cellular network of the cellular service provider. That is, when certain conditions are present, data originally targeted for a cellular network (e.g., the network of the provider of cellular phone service) may be “offloaded” onto an alternate or complementary network.
By way of example, when large numbers of mobile device users converge at an event such as a professional football game at a stadium (or a concert), the available local capacity of a cellular network can be easily exceeded. This problem has become increasingly more prevalent, particularly since the advent and rising use of tablets and smartphones which often include high bandwidth applications.
When the capacity of a cellular network is approached or exceeded, mobile device performance suffers (e.g., with possible outages and slow response times) which is undesirable for the device user and harmful to the reputation of the cellular provider. Data offloading solutions have been used in the past to address these network traffic capacity issues. These prior known solutions shift data traffic off of the cellular data network and onto an alternate data network, such as a WiFi network described above. Of course, data offloading is also useful to mobile device users wishing to limit cellular data usage such as if the user's cellular service contract does not allow for “unlimited” data usage at a set, contracted price.
Although certain data offloading solutions were heretofore known, such prior art offloading solutions suffer one or more drawbacks. For example, in certain offloading scenarios, when a mobile device initiates a data offload attempt, the transition to an alternate data network is often not “seamless” and is therefore undesirable. For example, a third party WiFi provider may provide an offload opportunity to a mobile device user, but the third party provider often implements software download requirements, requires new user identifications or passwords to be created, requires additional payment (e.g., not shared with the cellular provider), and/or wrests control of data security (e.g., encryption) from the cellular service provider. Furthermore, at large events at stadiums (for example), where upwards of 100,000 people might be in attendance, a conventional WiFi hotspot will not provide sufficient offload bandwidth capacity. Moreover, such hotspots are not readily and affordably scalable.
In view of the above drawbacks, it would be desirable in the art to provide improved wireless local access networks which are more affordably and/or easily scalable to accommodate high data traffic volume. It would also be desirable to provide such networks for use to accept cellular data offload traffic, particularly at high attendance events such as concerts and sporting venues. It would similarly be desirable to provide data offloading networks and/or architecture (e.g., unique WiFi network architectures) which may be “shared” among multiple cellular or mobile device service providers. Still furthermore, it would be desirable to provide networks at high capacity venues (e.g., a football stadium) which provide a new source of revenue to one or more of the venue owner and/or one or more mobile service providers (or another entity). It would be further desirable to provide access to a data offloading network, or to provide a network architecture which provides data offloading functionality, which provides, or at least permits, a relative “seamless” transition of the connection of a mobile device from a cellular network to an “offload” network (e.g., a WiFi network).
In view of these and other desires for improvements in the art, it is a purpose of the herein described inventions to address one or more of such desires as well as, or in the alternative, other needs which will become more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the present disclosure.